Construcción Cables JAW-2 PDF

Exhibit JAW-2
PDC Transmission and Distribution Systems

PUBLIC SERVICE ELECTRIC & GAS COMPANY
ANALYSIS OF POTENTIAL 230-kV CABLE SYSTEMS

AS ALTERNATIVES TO PROPOSED OVERHEAD LINES FOR
THE
NORTH CENTRAL RELIABILITY PROJECT
REPORT MAY 19, 2011

Prepared by
Power Delivery Consultants, Inc.
Ballston Lake NY

Jay Williams
518 384‐1300

Page 0


THE
REPORT MAY 19, 2011

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1.0 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................................. 2
2.0 ROUTE CONDITIONS ........................................................................................................................... 2
3.0 CABLE TYPE AND SIZE ......................................................................................................................... 3
3.1 Cable Type................................................................................................................................ 3
HPFF Cables........................................................................................................................................................... 3
Extruded-dielectric Cables...................................................................................................................................... 5
Self-contained Fluid-filled (SCFF) Cables ............................................................................................................. 6
3.2 Cable Type for North Central Reliability Project .................................................................... 7
3.3 Cable Size ................................................................................................................................ 8
4.0 INSTALLATION CONSIDERATIONS ........................................................................................... 8
4.1 Trenching ................................................................................................................................. 8
4.2 Manholes................................................................................................................................ 10
4.3 Cable Sheath Bonding............................................................................................................ 10
4.4 Terminations .......................................................................................................................... 10
5.0 CABLE INSTALLATION ............................................................................................................... 10
5.0 ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS ................................................................................................. 11
6.0 OPERATIONAL CONSIDERATIONS........................................................................................... 12
7.0 INSPECTION AND MAINTENANCE ........................................................................................... 12
8.0 COSTS.............................................................................................................................................. 13

Page 1

THE
REPORT MAY 19, 2011

1.0 INTRODUCTION

Public Service Electric & Gas Company (PSE&G) is proposing the upgrading of existing 138‐kV
overhead lines to 230 kV, which involves using some existing structures, replacing other existing
structures, and adding new structures as required. PSE&G requested Power Delivery
Consultants, Inc. (PDC) to evaluate the potential cable options for this project. The length
considered for undergrounding would be approximately 24.5 miles.

The overhead lines will have steady‐state power transfer capability of 800 MVA and a cable
system would be required to meet this capacity.

PDC evaluated the cable system types that could be considered for this application, determined
the cable size that would be required to match the ratings of the overhead lines, and prepared
an analysis of the planning, construction, operation, and maintenance requirements for the a
230‐kV underground cable system.

2.0 ROUTE CONDITIONS
The cable would follow the existing overhead line right‐of‐way for the full length. A summary of
the route characteristics taken from the NCRP Siting Study Report, along with comments on
installation implications, is given below.

 Portions of the route have high rock content and rock outcroppings, making excavation
very slow and costly, and perhaps requiring blasting
 There would be approximately 115 road and railroad crossings, many of which may
require horizontal auger boring or other trenchless installation methods
 The route has approximately 40 stream and river crossings, which can be very time
consuming and costly for a buried cable system. The Passaic River crossings would
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require large horizontal directional drills, which need large staging areas on either side of
the river, and which are very slow and costly.
3.0 CABLE TYPE AND SIZE
3.1 Cable Type

Three types of cable could be considered for 230‐kV systems:

 High‐pressure fluid‐filled (HPFF) pipe‐type cable
 Cross‐linked Polyethylene insulated extruded‐dielectric (ED) cable (commonly called XLPE
cable)
 Self‐contained Fluid‐filled (SCFF) cable

Three other cable types exist, but are not considered suitable for this application: High‐pressure
gas‐filled cable and ethylene‐propylene rubber (EPR) cables are only available for voltages
through 138 kV. Compressed gas‐insulated cables, also called gas‐insulated lines (GIL) are
available at 230 kV and higher voltages, but these systems are large and expensive, not
amenable to burial, and are used almost exclusively for above‐ground applications on utility
property.

Descriptions of the three viable cable types are given below.
HPFF Cables
HPFF cables have been the dominant transmission cable type in the United States from the
1940’s through the start of this century. PSE&G has many HPFF cable circuits in urban areas. In
the last five years, the number of miles of extruded‐dielectric cables worldwide has overtaken
that of HPFF cables for new installations, primarily because of higher power transfer and the
simpler accessories (splices and terminations) and the absence of dielectric liquid and the
associated pressurizing plants. However, many miles of pipe‐type cables are still being installed
at voltages through 345 kV.

HPFF cables are insulated with helically‐wrapped Kraft paper or laminated paper‐polypropylene
(LPP) tapes impregnated with high‐viscosity synthetic dielectric liquid. Stainless steel skid wires
are wound helically around the cable to reduce friction between the cables and the pipe wall
during cable installation. Three phases are drawn simultaneously into a mild steel pipe, typically
8.625‐in. OD, which has a high‐quality corrosion coating and is provided with cathodic protection
to reduce the chance of corrosion. The space between cables and pipe is filled with a low‐
viscosity synthetic fluid (alkylbenzene or polybutene) which is pressurized to a minimum of 200
psig to improve the electric strength of the cable insulation. The use of LPP insulation in place
of Kraft paper allows a reduced insulation wall and cable pipe diameter and an improved power
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transmission capacity. LPP is used for all new 345‐kV HPFF cable, and for most new 230‐kV HPFF
cable.

A fluid pressurizing plant is required at least at one end of a HPFF cable system to accept fluid
expansion and contraction with temperature changes. The plant contains a reservoir tank that
would be sized at about 10,000 gallons for the potential NCRP cables, plus pressurizing pumps,
relief valves to maintain proper pressures, alarms, and controls. They are typically housed in an
insulated enclosure resembling a large outdoor cooler. Dimensions are typically about 12 ft
wide, 12 ft high, and 25‐40 ft long depending upon the size of the reservoir tank.

Figure 3.1 compares the sizes of 345‐kV Kraft paper and LPP insulated HPFF systems with equal
power transmission ratings. The left pipe is 10.75 in. OD, and the right pipe is the 8.625‐in. OD
(the size that would be used for the North Central Reliability Project). At 230 kV, the Kraft paper
insulation thickness would be about 0.605 inches and the LPP insulation thickness would be
about 0.500 inches. The 230‐kv cable would be installed in an 8.625‐in. OD steel pipe.

Figure 3.1 – 345‐kV Kraft paper and LPP HPFF cables (EPRI “Green Book”)

The service record of HPFF cable has been good. A common‐mode failure typically in the splice
area, thermo‐mechanical bending (TMB), has caused many outages on 230‐kv and 345‐kV
cables. Splices were rebuilt with additional mechanical supports, and many miles of cable were
replaced with a more TMB‐resistant cable, essentially eliminating this problem. TMB problems
have appeared in the cable length between splices for both 230‐kV and 345‐kV cables. PSE&G
has undertaken a major cable replacement project because of these failures.

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A few utilities in major metropolitan areas had many fluid leaks (with the number greatly
reduced after careful attention to the corrosion protection system). Most leaks have been due
to dig‐in, damage to corrosion coating when other subsurface utilities have been installed, or
burn‐through due to a cable electrical fault.

Extruded-dielectric Cables
Extruded‐dielectric cables, also known as solid‐dielectric cables, use cross‐linked polyethylene
(XLPE) insulation for 230‐kV operation. (Ethylene‐propylene rubber, EPR, is used up to 138 kV.)
Transmission‐voltage extruded‐dielectric cables have been used extensively in North America at
voltages 138 kV and higher since the mid‐1980s, and they have seen extensive use overseas
since the 1970s. The first 230‐kV installation in the United States was in 1992, and California
utilities have installed hundreds of circuit miles of 230‐kV XLPE cables in the last five years.
Individual single‐phase cables are typically installed in PVC ducts, in concrete‐encased ductbanks
for city street installation. Although direct burial might be permitted in rural installations, there
are very few directly buried systems in this country.

Figure 3.2 shows a typical XLPE‐insulated cable. The XLPE insulation thickness is about one inch
for 230‐kV operation. A lead or aluminum sheath, sometimes with additional copper or
aluminum neutral wires, is used to prevent moisture ingress and carry fault currents.

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Figure 3.2‐ XLPE‐insulated cable (courtesy of Silec Cable).

XLPE‐insulated cables are significantly larger and heavier than pipe‐type cables. Typical length
between splices is shorter – 1800 feet versus 2500 feet. XLPE‐insulated cables do not have the
long service history that HPFF cables do, but experience to date has been good. PSE&G has
installed only short sections of XLPE‐insulated cable in substations and other controlled areas.
Self-contained Fluid-filled (SCFF) Cables

SCFF cables have seen extensive service worldwide in EHV ac transmission systems.

The construction of SCFF cables is similar to that of an HPFF cable in that both employ a laminar
dielectric, which can be either Kraft paper or LPP tapes, impregnated with a dielectric fluid that
is maintained under pressure to improve its electrical strength. There are, however, several
important differences as follows:

 The conductor has a central duct to allow the dielectric fluid to reach the taped
insulation. During the expansions and contractions which accompany load variations, the
fluid flows along the conductor duct to and from special fluid reservoirs via feed joints at
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intermediate points along the line. Very long lines have large pumping plants near the
terminations at one or both ends of the line.

 The insulated conductor is contained in a metallic sheath that can either be corrugated
aluminium or lead reinforced with metal tapes to resist the internal fluid pressure. The
fact that this sheath is an integral part of the cable construction rather than a separate
pipe is the origin of the term “self‐contained”.

 The metal sheath is provided with a high‐grade extruded polymeric jacket as protection
against corrosion. This is most frequently a medium or high‐density polyethylene with a
2% addition of carbon black as a protection against UV deterioration.

Figure 3.3 shows a typical SCFF cable.

Figure 3.3 ‐ SCFF cable with corrugated aluminium sheath

SCFF cables are used extensively for submarine cables laid on the water bottom or trenched‐in
to the water bottom. Use for new land installations is uncommon; applications that were
historically installed using SCFF cables now use XLPE‐insulated cables. We therefore did not
evaluate SCFF cables for the North Central Reliability Project.

3.2 Cable Type for North Central Reliability Project
A detailed analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of HPFF cable versus XLPE‐insulated
cables, including relative costs, should be performed if the cable option were pursued further.
Page 7

However, based upon general characteristics and cable availability, we believe that an XLPE‐
insulated cable would be the preferred option – primarily because its electrical characteristics
are better for system operation, its power rating is higher, and its maintenance requirements
are lower. There are two suppliers of this cable in the United States, and another dozen
suppliers overseas.
3.3 Cable Size
PSE&G requires an 800‐MVA steady‐state power transfer on the cable system.

PDC performed ampacity calculations to size the cable for assumed installation conditions. We
determined that a 2500 kcmil, copper conductor, XLPE‐insulated cable should be adequate, with
two cables per phase required to provide the 800 MVA transfer. 2500 kcmil is a common
conductor size for these cables. For the one month or longer it would take to repair a cable
failure, the remaining circuit would be able to carry about 565 MVA. This is larger than half of
800 MVA since the out‐of‐service cable would not be generating heat that would de‐rate the in‐
service cable.

The physical size of each cable would be about 4.5 inches outside diameter. The weight would
be about 20 pounds per foot, for a single cable.

If the underground line were to proceed to detailed analysis, accurate rating studies may
determine that a larger conductor size is required – e.g. for installations through swampy areas,
to dip under existing services at street crossings, in deep horizontal directional drills, etc.
4.0 INSTALLATION CONSIDERATIONS

4.1 Trenching
Figure 4‐1 shows a cross‐sectional view for a typical trench for these cables. The figure shows a
concrete‐encased ductbank which is the preferred method for installing high‐voltage XLPE‐
insulated cables. Direct burial, which is slightly less expensive, might be feasible on a right‐of‐
way, but direct burial has significant disadvantages:

 If the cable has an electrical failure, the exact failure must be located, excavation
performed, and repairs made at that location (for cable in a duct‐and‐manhole system, a
failure is located within the 1500‐2000 foot section between manholes, and the entire
section is replaced)
 If the cable ever has to be replaced, because of a design problem with the cable, need to
reconductor to increase power transfer, etc., the entire length of the circuit must be re‐
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excavated. For a duct‐and‐manhole system, the cable is replaced from manhole‐to‐
manhole with no need for excavation.

Figure 4‐1. Typical trench cross‐section for 230‐kV XLPE‐insulated cable

Every foot of the transmission cable route would have to be trenched, or more complex
trenchless methods such as horizontal directional drilling would be used. A temporary
construction road would be required along the length of the cable route; this would need to be a
substantial road because it would need to carry heavy loads such as large excavation equipment,
concrete trucks, tractor‐trailers with 80,000 lb manholes and 50,000 lb cable reels, etc.

The cable lines would cross several creeks, highways, and railroads, where a trenched
installation may not be permitted. Trenchless installation, such as horizontal auger boring,
would be required. Horizontal directional drilling would be required for the crossings of the
Passaic River. All of these trenchless methods are time consuming and expensive, and they carry
a high risk.

The route has extensive wetlands, which create substantial problems for an underground cable
since it is generally not permitted or technically feasible to bring heavy equipment through the
wetlands to install the cable. Horizontal directional drilling can bridge some wetlands, but the
maximum feasible length is about 3,000 feet. Longer lengths through wetlands would probably
require re‐routing the cables.
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Substantial portions of the potential cable route have high rock content and steep elevation
changes, which make trenching and cable installation difficult and very costly.
4.2 Manholes
Cable splices are placed in manholes, to provide a working space for the week or so it takes to
splice cable sections together, and to allow access for maintenance. A manhole for a 230‐kV
XLPE cable would be approximately 28 feet long, 8 feet wide, and 7 feet high and would weigh
about 100,000 pounds (they are supplied to the job site in two sections). Only one of the two
lines is permitted per manhole, to allow workers to safely repair an out‐of‐service line while the
other one remains energized. Therefore, a 25 mile line would require approximately 130 of
these large concrete structures.
4.3 Cable Sheath Bonding
The currents flowing in the cable conductor can induce high voltages in the cable sheath.
Although the cable jacket should protect the public from these voltages, utilities normally limit
the voltages to a few hundred volts to provide protection to utility workers. An elaborate
scheme to connect the cable sheaths in a method known as cross‐bonding can reduce the
voltages to tolerable levels, but each splice location must have small surge arresters to protect
the sheaths from overvoltages, and they are contained in a waterproof “link box” to allow
reconnection and testing of the arresters and the cable jackets. These link boxes can be placed
in a separate small manhole adjacent to the splicing manhole to allow easy access.

4.4 Terminations

The terminations, which connect the cables to overhead bus, resemble transformer bushings
and would be about 9.5 feet tall. They would be placed on steel structures in PSE&G substations
or switching stations. Six of these terminations would be required at each location.

5.0 CABLE INSTALLATION
The 230‐kV XLPE‐insulated cables would be provided on steel reels, with individual cables on
individual reels, weighing approximately 50,000 pounds each. Special winches would be set up
at one manhole, and the cable pulled from an adjacent manhole to the location with the winch.
Once cable installation from both sides to the manhole is completed, the cables may be spliced
together. Splicing is typically performed around the clock in the manhole, and the air is
conditioned to maintain low humidity and clean conditions. Three splices for one of the lines
would take about a week using highly trained and skilled splicers.
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Termination installation also requires extremely clean, dry conditions. Each termination would
take one to two days to complete.

There are several firms that have experience in installing these cables in the ducts and
manholes, but splicing and terminating are typically performed by technicians from the cable
supplier.

6.0 ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS

Underground cable construction generally has more environmental intrusion than overhead line
construction, for several reasons:
 Every foot of the route length must be excavated, or dug by trenchless means. Common
construction concerns such as equipment movement, dust, noise, etc. will be a problem
along the entire route.
 It is generally not possible to cross wetlands, creeks, rivers, highways, etc. by open
trenching. If wetlands are present, they may be spanned by horizontal directional drilling
if the length is less than a few thousand feet. If the length is longer, alternate routes
must be found unless approval is granted to cross the wetlands.
 Since every foot of the length is trenched or otherwise excavated, the chance of
encountering contaminated soils is higher than for tower foundations for overhead lines.
 Horizontal directional drilling requires a great deal of equipment, and requires using a
“drilling mud” that has the possibility of forcing its way to the surface in undesired
locations
 Blasting may be required for substantial distances, especially if there are rock
outcroppings
 A cleared area at least 50 feet wide is required the full length of the line to move
equipment and materials, perform trenching, assemble duct, etc.
 An access road must be built along the entire length of the cable system. The road must
be capable of supporting multiple trucks with weights approaching 100,000 pounds.
 Construction equipment and crews must be present for long periods of time – “a mile a
month” is sometimes stated as a rule of thumb for installing the cable system.
 Equipment and personnel must be at manhole locations for additional time, to fabricate
splices

Although underground lines are not visible after construction, there are still environmental
concerns:
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 An access road is required along the route, for maintenance and possible repair
operations. Personnel must travel to every manhole periodically for inspection of splices
and link boxes.
 Woody vegetation is not permitted within ten feet of the cable trench
 The temperature at the earth’s surface is elevated several degrees above that of the
surrounding area
 Magnetic fields right above the cable trench can be higher than those of overhead lines,
but they attenuate more quickly with distance from the trench.

7.0 OPERATIONAL CONSIDERATIONS

The electrical characteristics of underground cables are different from those of overhead lines,
which can cause problems in system operation. Differences include:
 Cables are long distributed capacitors. The cable capacitance reduces the allowable flow
of real power (MW), can cause instability in system operation, and cause overvoltages
that may damage system components such as transformers.
 Cables of the ~24.5 mile length of the North Central Reliability Project can have reactive
power levels high enough to require shunt reactors (device resembling large
transformers) at the substation ends to control the reactive power. These shunt reactors
have high electrical losses, and historically have not had a good reliability record.
 Utilities typically re‐close on an overhead line because most faults are transient. Re‐
closing on a circuit that contains an underground cable is not recommended since cable
faults are permanent, and re‐closing can cause significant additional damage to the cable
system – including launching manhole covers if the fault is in a splice.
 Utilities must plan on a failed cable being out of service for a month or longer, and must
therefore make alternate provisions for power transfer until the cable is repaired.

8.0 INSPECTION AND MAINTENANCE

Inspection and Maintenance requirements for underground cables are higher than those for
overhead lines. The following maintenance items should be performed for XLPE‐insulated
cables:

 Weekly substation walk‐through, to check for cracked insulators on the terminations, or
leaks of insulating fluid from the terminations.
 Bi‐weekly patrol of the cable route, to look for any construction activity that might affect
the buried cables
Page 12
 Check of the sheath voltage limiters (the small surge arresters) in the link box, any time
there is a fault on the cable or a through‐fault on the transmission line. If the link boxes
are located in the manhole (the preferred location since leads from the splice to the link
box should be as short as possible), then the manhole must be pumped of water and a
safe atmosphere established before workers can enter.
 Jacket integrity test and check of link box connection and sheath voltage limiters every
three years. These tests would require an outage for a week or longer depending upon
the number of crews available. Manhole integrity would be checked at this time.
 Maintenance of the right‐of‐way to allow vehicle access along the full length and to
insure no woody vegetation grows too close to the cable trench

9.0 COSTS AND SCHEDULE

It is not possible to develop even a study‐grade cost estimate (accurate to +/‐ 25%) without
detailed analysis of the route, evaluation of the amount of rock blasting, number of horizontal
auger bores or horizontal directional drills, access road requirements, etc. Cost ratios depend
upon the overhead line costs as well as underground line costs (i.e. the cost of UG to OH may
vary by a factor of two or three for the same underground cost, depending upon the cost of
overhead construction.) Cost ratios are often stated as 5‐10 to 1, with published values as high
as 20/1 (CIGRE 2004).

An underground project of this magnitude could typically be constructed in two to three years,
after permits are in place and engineering design is completed.

10.0 CONCLUSIONS

Underground cables are technically feasible for this 230‐kV application. Cross‐linked
polyethylene (XLPE) cables would be the preferred cable type.

However, route conditions would make cable installation very costly, disruptive, and time‐
consuming. Having these cables on the system would create operational difficulties for PSE&G
that would not be present with overhead lines, and power transfer could be severely curtailed
for longer than a month if there were a cable failure.

Page 13

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Exhibit JAW-2

PDC Transmission and Distribution Systems

PUBLIC SERVICE ELECTRIC & GAS COMPANY

ANALYSIS OF POTENTIAL 230-kV CABLE SYSTEMS

ANALYSIS OF POTENTIAL 230-kV CABLE SYSTEMS

PUBLIC SERVICE ELECTRIC & GAS COMPANY

ANALYSIS OF POTENTIAL 230-kV CABLE SYSTEMS

Self-contained Fluid-filled (SCFF) Cables

3.2 Cable Type for North Central Reliability Project

3.3 Cable Size

4.0 INSTALLATION CONSIDERATIONS

4.3 Cable Sheath Bonding

5.0 CABLE INSTALLATION

6.0 ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS

7.0 OPERATIONAL CONSIDERATIONS

8.0 INSPECTION AND MAINTENANCE

9.0 COSTS AND SCHEDULE

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